Sacrifice Theory
by FallAway
Summary: Very AU. Mac and Madison weren’t switched at birth and life as a 09er is about to take on a whole new meaning. Takes place the summer after season one. MacDick, LoganVeronica, and eventually MacCassidy. Complete.
1. No Respect

Summary: AU. Mac and Madison weren't switched at birth and life as a 09er is about to take on a whole new meaning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. The title comes from an AFI song that I also don't own, and if you sue me I will be forced to eat you. That will be unpleasant for all parties involved, so let's just not go there.

A/N: I completely put all blame for this plot bunny on Hider. She got it into my head weeks ago and I sort of experimented with it since then, but then tonight I finally sat down and started writing it. Reviews are like acid: drop one and have fun.

--

She was ready to strangle him. Her laptop sat completely unprotected and oblivious to his flailing limbs and her eyes narrowed a little more with every inch that he gained on the coffee table. His brother continued to try and stop the wrestling match they had gotten themselves into and she watched warily from the doorway.

"Damnit, Dick!" They crashed into the table and she clenched her fists when the laptop went crashing to the floor.

He was going to die. Soon.

Cassidy shoved at his brother one more time before standing up and straightening out his clothes, noticing her pissed off expression. His eyes widened a little and he looked around, spotting her laptop lying open on the floor.

"I am so sorry," he said quickly, rushing to pick up the computer and push the coffee table back into place as he set the laptop down on it.

Mac took a deep breath and smiled at the youngest Casablancas. "It's fine, Cassidy, don't worry about it." He nodded a little and sat on the couch as her gaze turned to Dick.

She raised an impatient eyebrow and Dick stopped laughing, sitting up quickly.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

Dick looked at his brother for the answer to her question and Cassidy rolled his eyes, picking up the abandoned game controller that was lying at his feet. Dick glared and looked back at his girlfriend.

"No," he admitted. "But whatever I did, I'm sorry."

Mac sighed heavily and pointed at her laptop, which Cassidy had placed gently on the coffee table just a moment ago. Dick furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What? Nothing happened to it, I don't know why you're getting all pissy."

"Of course you don't," she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Mac, it's not like your mom wouldn't just buy you a new one if your precious baby broke."

"That is beside the point," she said quietly, irritated, as she walked across the living room to grab her stuff. "You could be a little more considerate, Dick."

"I thought your parents were out of town," he said in confusion. She nodded as she stuck her laptop in her bag, turning to look at him as she stood up.

"They are."

"Then where the hell are you going?"

Cassidy quietly set the controller down and told Mac he'd see her later before leaving the room. He wasn't going to stick around to watch another fight between her and his idiot brother. He'd seen enough in the past six months that they'd been dating.

"I think I'll call Veronica, maybe catch a movie," she shrugged and started heading for the front door. Dick gaped at her before scrambling off the floor to follow after her.

"Are we still going to Shelley's party tomorrow?"

He leaned against the door and she crossed her arms in front of her chest impatiently.

"Sure. Can you move?"

Dick pushed himself off the door and settled his hands on her shoulders. "Hey," he said seriously, ducking down a little to look her in the eye. "I thought you were staying here this weekend."

Mac stared at him incredulously and shook her head, moving out of his grasp as she gripped the doorknob.

"The sweet act doesn't work on me, Dick; you should know that by now."

She walked out of the house and toward the light green beetle she'd gotten for her birthday. Dick stood on the porch and blinked at the scene unfolding before him.

"We were gonna kick Beaver out and have the house to ourselves, remember?"

She grinned and turned to face him once her door was open.

"Well now you can spend the weekend bonding with your little brother," she said cheerfully. "I think he's feeling a little neglected," she winked and ducked into the car, tossing her bag into the passenger seat. Dick set his jaw and she smiled at him as she backed out of the driveway, giving him a little wave as she turned her stereo up.

--

"Mars Investigations."

"Hey, Veronica, it's Mac."

Veronica smiled and leaned back in her chair. "Hey, Mac. Dick getting on your nerves?"

"You have no idea," Mac rolled her eyes and opened the front door, greeting her little sister as it closed behind her and she headed upstairs. Veronica chuckled.

"I told you not to date a caveman."

"And I ignored you, my fault, I know," Mac grinned as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "What are you doing after work?"

"Logan and I were going to catch a movie. You're free to join us if you need a break from Dick," Veronica offered. The door to the office opened a second later and she smiled at Logan while she listened to Mac complain about Dick's lack of respect for her stuff. "You expect Dick to treat your stuff nicely? He doesn't even treat his own stuff nicely. His iPod snapped in half last week because he stepped on it at the beach."

Mac snickered, "Oh, but he has three more to replace that one so it's not that big of a deal."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "I think someone should take away all of his money. Just leave him in a cave somewhere and see how long he lasts without a maid."

"We'd be planning the funeral within an hour," Mac said wryly. Veronica laughed.

"All the more reason to do it," she said wistfully.

"Hey, that is still my boyfriend you're talking about."

Veronica smiled as Logan sat down across the desk from her and propped his feet up on the surface of it. "And as much as I adore you, I still think you're an idiot for dating him."

"Thanks," Mac laughed and flopped back on her mattress. "Are you sure I can come with you guys tonight? I don't want to intrude on your date."

"No, it's cool. I think Logan was going to invite Cassidy anyway," she looked to her boyfriend to confirm her response and he nodded.

"Okay. Time?"

"Meet us at the theater around seven, we'll figure out what we're seeing when we get there."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Bye Mac," Veronica smiled and hung up the phone, turning her attention to Logan. "Dick's living up to his namesake again."

Logan grinned and put his feet down. "Mac having problems?"

"Always," Veronica agreed as she stood and walked around the desk, leaning down to greet him properly. "Hi," she whispered, smiling. He kissed her quickly and tugged on her hand to pull her into his lap.

"Hi," he grinned and kissed her again, securing his arms around her waist. She raised an eyebrow.

"My father is in the next room."

"I thought your dad liked me," he frowned.

"He does. That doesn't mean he wants you touching me in any way, shape, or form," she grinned and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before standing up. "So it's you, me, Mac, and Cassidy for the movies tonight."

"What's Dick gonna do all alone on a Saturday?"

Veronica paused to consider the question, turning to look at him. "Dance around naked to the Spice Girls?"

Logan groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Thanks for the visual, Mars."

She grinned, "Any time, Echolls."

--

Cassidy grabbed his cell phone off his dresser and shoved it hastily in his back pocket, the keys to his car hanging absently from his other hand. He checked his reflection once more to make sure his hair wasn't doing anything too weird and left his bedroom a moment later.

Dick didn't look up from the video game he was playing but called out to his brother as he walked past his bedroom door. Cassidy silently groaned and turned around, pausing in the doorway of Dick's room.

"What, Dick? I'm late."

"Late for what? Finally manage to get a girl, Beave?" Dick grinned and paused his latest round of Grand Theft Auto, leaning back against the pillows that were spread out on his floor.

"I'm going to the movies with Logan and Veronica. Can I help you with something or are you just being annoying?"

Dick's smile faded and he stared at his brother blankly. "What did you say?"

Cassidy's eyes widened and he hastily stuttered out a "Nothing!" before turning and practically running to his car. Dick was a few feet behind him, shouting at him as he climbed into his car and backed out of the driveway.

He let out a breath when he was on the road and shook his head, turning on the radio as he drove. He was _so_ not in the mood to get the crap beat out of him today.


	2. Stirring Things Up

Disclaimer: Can be found in the first chapter. Now don't be lazy; go find it if you're really that intent on reading it.

A/N: I did not expect to get such a positive response out of this, but I have to say that I do appreciate all of the reviews I got. Wanna drop another one after you read this? Yeah? Oh, I officially adore you. ;)

--

Veronica leaned against the outside wall of the theater, eyes scanning the road for any sign of Mac or Cassidy. Logan stood a few feet away talking on his cell phone, scratching his head in confusion every few minutes. She'd figured out that Dick was on the other line seconds after he'd answered and had tuned out the conversation after that.

She didn't particularly care what was wrong with Dick. He'd probably gotten his head stuck in the railing on his stairs again.

A familiar green beetle pulled into the parking lot and she smiled, pushing off the wall as Mac got out of her car. She tucked a strand of fuchsia hair behind her ear as she stepped onto the sidewalk, smiling at Veronica as she greeted her.

"Cassidy here yet?"

"Um … no," Veronica looked around and smirked when she saw Cassidy pull into the parking lot. "Scratch that," she laughed and turned to look at Logan, gesturing behind her impatiently. He held up a finger and she rolled her eyes.

"Who is he talking to?"

"Our resident caveman," Veronica sighed and turned back to Mac as Cassidy joined them. He shoved his hands in his pockets and greeted them quickly. "Hey," Veronica smiled.

"Hi Cassidy," Mac smiled, then turned her attention back to Veronica. "You are so awful."

Veronica grinned, "I try." Logan came up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, greeting their friends in the process.

The next twenty minutes was spent arguing over what movie they were going to see. Mac groaned in frustration and told Veronica and Logan to choose a movie, slumping down to sit on the sidewalk with Cassidy, who had given up on the argument five minutes ago. He smirked a little and she sighed.

"Are we ever going to actually _see_ a movie?" she questioned.

"Knowing those two? Nah," Cassidy smirked and flicked a rock that was sitting next to him, watching as it skipped over the sidewalk and landed in the middle of the street. Mac groaned and leaned her head back to look at the sky.

"I think I'd be better off spending 'quality time' with Dick," she snorted. He turned his head to look at her and she continued to stare at the darkened California sky.

"Why are you with him?"

His eyes widened a little at the question and she turned her head sharply to look at him. She opened her mouth to respond when Veronica stepped up behind them.

"Okay!" she pronounced loudly, "We picked one. Either of you have an issue with horror movies?"

Mac bit her lip and then smiled up at her friend, shaking her head. "Horror sounds good."

Cassidy nodded his agreement and they both stood to follow Veronica and Logan into the theater. Mac glanced back at Cassidy for a second before shaking her head and catching up with her blond friend, pushing his question to the back of her mind.

Cassidy did his best to ignore it, as well. He wasn't one for stirring things up; especially not when it came to Dick and his love life.

--

Mac furrowed her brow as they left the theater, trying to find the best way to describe the movie she'd just been forced to sit through. Veronica had an equally confused expression and Logan was uncharacteristically quiet. Cassidy scratched the back of his head and quirked his mouth slightly in contemplation.

"That … sucked," Mac proclaimed finally, turning her head to look at her friends as they headed for the parking lot. Veronica nodded her agreement, looking up at Logan.

"No more horror movies," she said seriously. Logan smirked a little and tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"I'm not the one who wanted cuddle time." Veronica gaped at him and then smacked him in the chest, shrieking as she ran toward his car with Logan hot on her heels. Mac shook her head and chuckled as she watched them, Logan throwing Veronica over his shoulder just moments before she managed to reach the X-Terra.

Cassidy chuckled, "Those two live for baiting each other, don't they?"

"It seems to be their favored form of foreplay, yes."

He scrunched up his nose and glared at the girl walking next to him.

"Bad visual," they said in unison. They burst out laughing a second later and Mac sighed, sobering as she stopped next to her car. A slightly awkward silence filled the air between them and Cassidy jumped when her cell phone rang. She gave him an apologetic smile and pulled her phone out of her bag, not bothering to check the caller id.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen my idiot brother?" Mac inwardly groaned.

"Why? Need help finding your X-Men figurines?"

"I do _not_ own X-Men figurines," Dick protested. Mac rolled her eyes and smiled at Cassidy, mouthing 'Dick' as her boyfriend complained about the comment Cassidy had made before he left that evening. Cassidy smirked a little and leaned against the side of her car.

"Well, Dick, he has a point."

"What!"

Mac sighed, "You do have a tendency to be annoying when people are in a hurry."

"You were singing a different tune the other night, Macky." She grimaced at the nickname and shook her head, unlocking her car.

"And if I remember correctly, that night ended with you drunkenly puking in my bathroom."

"At least I didn't pass out on your couch!"

"Oh, but you showed so much concern for Casey the next morning when he woke up on the floor because you shoved him off said couch to watch TV."

Cassidy snickered and Mac smirked at him, covering her cell phone with her hand. "I suggest avoiding Dick when you get home."

"I was planning on it," Cassidy sighed and pushed himself off of her car, waving a little as he headed for his own. She smirked softly and watched him for a moment before climbing into her car, catching the tail end of Dick's comeback.

"…end up on the floor! How did he know he didn't just pass out there to begin with?"

She rolled her eyes and turned on the radio before pulling out of the driveway and heading home.

--

Cassidy closed the front door quietly behind him, praying that Dick was somewhere other than the front portion of the house. He took off his shoes and crept silently across the living room, climbing the stairs as quickly as possible. His keys were clutched tightly in his hand so as not to alert Dick to his presence and he let out a quiet breath when he reached the top of the stairs.

"Beaver!"

He winced and turned around, sighing as his father slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Where were you all night?"

"It's only ten thirty," Cassidy mumbled, looking at the floor. He noticed that his sock had a hole in it and made a mental note to throw the pair away when he got to his room.

"Huh. So it is. You know, you could really use a little more fun."

Cassidy nodded a little and promised to get out more before turning and making his way to his room, sighing in relief when he shut the door behind him. Thank God for Dick's unwavering A.D.D.

--

She sighed and typed in a different code, trying to fix the error the website kept giving her whenever she tried to log in. Her little sister was curled up in the arm chair a few feet away, a book open on her lap while she tried to stop yawning.

Mac smiled a little and glanced up from her laptop. "Normally when you yawn like that it means it's bedtime."

Lauren frowned, "I'm not tired." Mac's smile widened and she shook her head.

"Whatever you say," she agreed as she looked back at the screen. She cursed under her breath when the same error message popped up.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed and started typing again, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know. I keep getting an error message and I can't seem to get around it."

Lauren furrowed her brow a little and yawned again. With a roll of her eyes she marked her page and got up out of the arm chair, walking over toward Mac. "I'm sure you'll figure it out," she said honestly. "I'm going to bed." Mac glanced up and gave her a quick hug, smiling as Lauren left the room and then turning back to the problem at hand.

"What is the issue?" she whispered to herself, a frown forming on her face. She sighed and pulled her hair back into a messy bun, staring at the screen.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thought process and she sighed, closing down the computer and getting up to go answer the door.

Dick smiled at her when she opened it and she rolled her eyes, leaning against the doorframe.

"Couldn't find your brother?"

His smile faded and he sighed, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "I just figured my time could be much better spent here with you than beating the crap out of the Beaver."

Mac bit the inside of her lip and watched as he intertwined their fingers. She sighed a little and pulled him into the house, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"If you wake up Lauren I will personally castrate you," she said seriously. Dick grinned and kissed her slowly, resting his hands on her hips.

"You're the loud one," he whispered in her ear. Mac pushed him away and backed up toward the stairs, not quite able to keep the smirk off her face.

"Care to prove that?"

Dick growled and ran after her as she took off up the stairs, grabbing her waist just before she reached her bedroom. She opened her mouth to protest and he cut her off with a swift kiss, pushing her into the room and kicking the door shut behind him.


	3. Moping

Disclaimer: Can still be found in the first chapter. Come on, go look. You know you want to.

A/N: I just … feel the urge to point out that this isn't a Logan/Veronica-centric fanfiction. They are most definitely together, but they are not the main focus of the story. That being said, I bring you chapter three.

--

He woke up with a start and blinked at the blond head of hair that was staring down at him. His eyes closed again and he pulled the comforter up over his head, blocking out the sunlight that was shining in from the window.

And then the comforter was yanked off of him and there was a pillow in his face.

"Dude!" he shouted, grabbing the pillow from his brother and putting it back underneath his head.

"Logan's gonna be here in like twenty minutes, dude. Get up."

Cassidy groaned and buried his face in the pillow, swatting ineffectually at Dick who was trying to take it out from under him again. Dick grabbed Cassidy's arm and yanked him off the bed, snickering when he landed on the floor with a resounding thud.

"What the hell, Dick!"

"Beave! Chicks and surfing in Mexico for the weekend; come on!"

Cassidy blinked up at his brother and furrowed his brow. "Remember Mac?" At Dick's blank look he continued, "Fuchsia hair? Tends to make out with you a lot?" Dick continued to blink. Cassidy rolled his eyes. "Dude, your girlfriend?"

"She's not coming," Dick said slowly. Cassidy rolled his eyes again and shook his head.

"Yeah, you know what? Nevermind," he said easily, standing up and stumbling to his bathroom. Dick reminded him that he had fifteen minutes or they were leaving with out him and Cassidy drowned his voice out with the sound of the shower.

--

Logan pulled into the Casablancas' driveway and shut off the engine of the X-Terra with a sigh. He idly traced the buttons on his cell phone as he got out of the car, considering calling Veronica and asking her to spend the weekend with him.

He wasn't exactly in the mood to go surfing with the Casablancas brothers.

It wasn't hard to predict what would happen that weekend. Dick would get wasted and scam on a few vulnerable cheerleaders before actively trying to find someone that would be a willing participant in the "Beaver Needs to Get Laid" game, and Logan would drive home from Tijuana with a hangover bad enough to last the rest of the year.

He paused on the doorstep of the mansion and pressed the first button on his speed dial while he rang the door bell. Banging noises could be heard through the door and he frowned, choosing instead to focus on the ringing that was filtering through his phone.

"Tell me you found the house burnt down with Dick's body as the center piece of the carnage."

Logan chuckled and turned to lean against the doorframe, "Good morning to you too, Sugarpuss." Veronica sighed heavily.

"Should I take that as a no?"

"No carnage that I can see," he agreed solemnly. "But I hear banging, so I'm a little concerned."

"Maybe Dick lost his club," she shrugged and he swore he could hear her smile through the phone.

"That could turn out pretty badly for Beave," he reminded her.

"Well then I suggest you get in there and save him before his brother bashes him over the head with a large stick."

Logan laughed again and sighed a little, returning to his earlier thoughts about the weekend. The door opened a second later and he turned around quickly, just barely catching sight of Cassidy's flailing body as he went running into the living room, Dick chasing after him.

"Looks like you were right," Logan said dryly.

"As usual," Veronica agreed. Logan rolled his eyes and stepped inside the house, cringing when he heard Beaver's shout and the loud thud that occurred simultaneously. "That didn't sound good."

Logan sighed as he walked into the living room, a smirk tugging at his mouth when he saw his friends wrestling on the floor. "I think they'll live."

"Even after an entire weekend spent in Tijuana together?"

"I make no guarantees." She giggled and he smiled a little. Dick shoved at Cassidy one last time and stood up, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Dude, get off the phone with the trailer trash and let's go," Dick said impatiently. Cassidy rolled his eyes and stood up, standing a good distance from his brother. Logan narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, Ronnie, feel like spending the weekend together?" he asked seriously, turning on his heel and walking back through the house towards the front door. Dick widened his eyes and ran after him, apologizing profusely. Cassidy snickered and followed after them.

Veronica sighed softly, flopping back on her bed. "I'm not going to Tijuana with you."

Logan bit his lip and swung open the front door of the Casablancas' mansion, digging his keys out of his pocket. "So we won't. Your dad's out of town, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then come stay with me for a couple days."

Dick threw his arms up in the air and turned around to glare at his brother. Cassidy shrugged, "I told you not to talk trash about Veronica."

"Dude!"

"Dude!" Cassidy mocked, lowering his voice accordingly. Dick's eyes narrowed and Cassidy's widened fearfully as he slammed the door in Dick's face, locking it behind him. He took a deep breath and hastily answered the house phone when it started ringing, tuning out Dick's enraged shouts and the pounding on the door.

"Cassidy?"

He froze, swallowing back the sudden lump in his throat.

"Is Dick there? He's not answering his cell phone and I know you guys are probably leaving soon," Mac continued. Cassidy ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at the still-closed door, Dick's shouts growing louder by the minute.

"He's outside."

Mac paused and furrowed her brow a little, focusing her attention on her phone call as opposed to her search for something to drink. "Loading stuff into Logan's car?"

"Watching Logan drive away, actually," Cassidy said honestly. Mac chuckled a little.

"He said something about Veronica, didn't he?"

"Isn't that always the way?"

She sighed, "Open the door and hand the phone to him, then close it and leave through the back. I'll do my best to distract him so that he can't kill you." Cassidy smirked.

"You don't have to protect me, you know."

"I know," Mac said quietly, "But I want to." Cassidy bit his lip lightly and sighed, putting her on hold and opening the front door. Dick opened his mouth to start yelling and Cassidy shoved the phone in his face.

"It's Mac!"

Dick paused and took the phone from him, instead choosing to rant to his girlfriend about his mistreatment. Cassidy rolled his eyes and walked past him to his own car, getting in and driving off before Dick had even noticed he'd moved.

--

She dropped bags of Chinese food on the lounge chair next to him and set her purse down next to them, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail.

"Will you stop moping now?"

Dick looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses and stuck his bottom lip out. Mac rolled her eyes. "I brought egg rolls," she smiled, "Now come on; you can go surfing with Logan and Cassidy any time."

He continued to pout and Mac sighed, kicking off her flip flops and crawling onto his lap, pushing blond hair out of his face. She pulled his sunglasses off and folded them gently, setting them on the cement next to his lounge chair. "Dick," she said seriously, pressing a kiss against his mouth, "It's not the end of the world," and another, "I promise."

Dick sighed heavily and tugged her closer, resting his head back against the plastic of the chair. "I don't get why he's so touchy about her; she's just a chick." Mac reined in a groan.

"She's his girlfriend; you'd be pissed if he was constantly making comments about me, too."

He considered her statement for a minute and then nodded, smiling as he gripped her hips. "We've got the house to ourselves," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she bit her lip to keep from smirking.

"Is that all you ever think about?" He pretended to contemplate the question and she smacked him in the chest, giggling when he picked her up and started carrying her toward the pool. "Dick, don't," she warned. He grinned at her and continued on his path. "I'm serious, Dick!"

Mac shrieked when he tossed her into the water and she came up a few seconds later, sputtering and glaring at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, making her eyes as wide and innocent as possible. Dick's expression changed from a satisfied grin to a sympathetic smirk and he leaned down next to the pool to grab her hand and help her out.

When their skin made contact she tugged on his arm quickly, sending him sprawling into the water in front of her. She was doubled over with laughter when he surfaced and they quickly engaged in an underwater wrestling match.

Cassidy could hear them laughing and splashing each other when he pulled into the driveway.

--

Mac ran a hand through her damp hair and flipped her cell phone open, answering it with a murmured, "Hello?"

"Logan's house is too big." Mac grinned and lay back on the couch.

"Did you get lost? Because I don't know my way around his place all that well," she teased. Veronica laughed brightly and shook her head.

"No, I didn't get lost. He went to go pick up food and left me here all alone. And you'd think there would be something to do in this big old house besides watch TV or play video games, but no."

Mac snickered, "Logan is a simple guy."

"Well, ever since we cleaned out all of Aaron's stuff, the house has been a lot more peaceful. I think he's afraid to purchase anything that will remind him of what the house was like before Aaron's arrest," Veronica said honestly. She sighed and flopped down on the loveseat in the living room, flipping through the channels again. "And you'd think that out of three hundred channels there would be something on that was worth watching!"

"Where's he getting food from?"

"House of Wu."

"There you go. That's a ten minute round trip; he'll be back before you lose your mind from boredom," Mac teased. Veronica rolled her eyes and curled her legs up underneath her.

"So how was your evening?" Mac smiled at the obvious change of topic and cuddled further into the couch.

"Fine. I brought dinner to Dick's and we ended up in a water war in the pool," she rolled her eyes. "I think the food even got wet." Veronica snickered.

"Poor Cassidy; he must be so scarred from watching the two of you interact."

"He got home about five minutes after Dick dropped me into the pool. I think he heard the splashing and steered clear."

"Keeping him from his pool? That's cruel, Mac," Veronica giggled. Mac rolled her eyes.

"Isn't your boyfriend back yet?"

"You wound me."

"Watch Skinemax. You won't have another chance like this to indulge your fantasies, you know," Mac grinned when Lauren walked into the living room, remote control in hand and a determined look on her face. Mac raised an eyebrow. "Lauren, what are you doing?"

"There's a documentary on the History channel that I've been waiting to see for a month," she said excitedly as she turned the TV on. Mac blinked and then turned back to her conversation with her friend.

"Do I seem like the type of person who watches porn on her boyfriend's television?"

"I don't know, Mars. Just when I think I've got you figure out, you shock me."

Veronica laughed and turned to face the door when she heard it open. "Hate to cut this little love fest short, but Logan has returned. With food," she said with a smile.

"Go. Have fun. Don't give me any details." Another eye roll and a quick goodbye-exchange later, Veronica hung up the phone and bounded into the kitchen.

Logan set a carton on the counter and absently started sorting out their food. "I bought enough egg rolls to last you for the rest of the night, so you can spare at least one."

Veronica frowned playfully and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, kissing his shoulder lightly. "What makes you think you're worthy of my egg rolls?"

He grinned wickedly and turned around, pulling her against him and pressing his mouth against hers. "I think I could come up with a few ways to convince you." She smiled and kissed him again.


	4. Nervous Seems Mild

Drops of water fell onto her skin and cascaded across her stomach. She opened her eyes lazily and looked up at the boy standing over her, sighing heavily.

"You're blocking my sun," she murmured, stretching her arms above her head.

"Wanna learn?" He held up his surfboard and she crinkled her nose.

"Do I look like someone who could surf?"

Logan grinned, "I could teach you."

"Last time you tried to teach me to surf we ended up making out on your surfboard," Veronica reminded him. He grinned again.

"Hence the appeal," he smirked. She laughed brightly and shook her head, sliding her hands back down to her sides. She broke her gaze with her boyfriend when she heard Dick shouting from a few feet away as he put his brother in a headlock.

"You're getting me all wet," she complained after a moment. Mac snickered next to her and she shot a glare her way before looking back up at Logan. He was staring at her intently and she rolled her eyes. "If I agree, will you let me tan next time?" He nodded and smiled at her, reaching out a hand to help her up.

"Damn, and here I am without a camera," Mac teased. Veronica glared at her as Logan pulled her to her feet.

"Don't you have a boyfriend to entertain? I think poor Cassidy could use a break from babysitting." Mac smiled and sat up as Veronica followed Logan toward the water warily.

After he'd finished making up the school he'd missed, it had been a regular sighting to see him at the beach with Veronica and a few of their friends, having a good time and avoiding thoughts of Aaron and Lilly and trials that would be coming up in just a few months. Mac was sure she hadn't seen Logan acting quite so carefree since Lilly had died, and it was nice to see the jackass vacate the premises.

Cassidy plopped down in the sand next to her and promptly cut off her train of thought, running his hands through his damp, salt-soaked hair in a vain attempt to get sand out of it.

"Want some help there, Cass?" Mac laughed lightly and reached over to run a hand through his hair. "Geez, how much sand did he pour on your head?"

Cassidy groaned and rolled his eyes, waving his hand absently in the direction of his older brother. "I lost count after five." She giggled again and sat up on her knees to check for any remaining grains of sand.

"I think it's gone," she smiled and ran her hand through his hair one last time for good measure. Cassidy shivered a little and inwardly cursed himself.

Now was not the time to let her know how she affected him.

Dick dropped his surfboard in the sand at Mac's feet and she scrunched up her nose when he leaned over to kiss her. "You're all wet," she complained. He opened his mouth to respond and she slapped her hand over his mouth. "Don't even think about it," she said seriously. He grinned and stuck his tongue out to lick her palm and she shrieked.

"And here I thought you liked it wet."

Cassidy furrowed his eyebrows in disgust as Mac blushed furiously. "Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"You say shut up, I hear fu-"

Veronica let out a piercing scream from the water just a few yards away and Dick was effectively cut off, blinking as he turned to see what had caused the commotion. Logan was laughing hysterically and Veronica was glaring at him, arms crossed in front of her chest, his surfboard flipped over next to her.

"Do you see? I am not made for surfing. Give me a camera and I can do anything; give me a surfboard and I almost drown," Veronica huffed. Logan attempted to stifle his giggles and reached for her, pulling her closer to him.

Dick turned back to his girlfriend to find her grinning at their friends. Cassidy was chuckling beside her and he noticed for the first time how often they were together.

When Veronica squealed again he forgot about his discovery and turned his attention to mocking the tiny blonde.

--

She leaned tiredly against Logan's X-Terra and closed her eyes while he unlocked the doors. She'd actually managed to stand up on his surfboard a few times, although her attempts to officially surf were proven futile when she fell over the side of the board and into Logan's arms every time.

Mac stood next to her and yawned. "Why do we have to be social?"

"Because we've been cursed with beauty, brains, and popular boyfriends," Veronica said gravely.

"Hmph," Mac sighed and glanced around the parking lot. Dick was talking to Casey Gant by his car while Cassidy attempted to track down his car keys. Her gaze settled on Madison Mackenzie and she frowned. "What's up with Madison?"

Veronica's eyes snapped open and she attempted to look alert as she looked in the direction that Mac was staring. "She looks particularly pissy today."

Mac nodded absently, "Who do you think messed with her this time?"

Veronica opened her mouth to respond when Dick started making catcalls in Madison's direction. "Hey, Maddy, care for a ride?" he gestured behind him to his SUV, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. The blonde scrunched up her face in disgust as she continued on her path down to the beach. Veronica frowned and Mac scoffed, pushing herself off of Logan's car.

"Scratch that," she muttered, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Classy," Veronica commented. She rolled her eyes and Logan walked around the hood of his car, taking her hand and knotting their fingers together.

"Ready to get out of here?"

She looked up at him and smiled slightly, nodding. She and Mac exchanged goodbyes and she climbed into the X-Terra while Mac stalked over to her boyfriend.

Dick grinned as she approached him and held out his arms invitingly. "Mackey!"

Mac rolled her eyes and stopped a few feet in front of him, arms folded across her chest. "Why do you insist on being such an asshole?" Dick blinked at her and Cassidy looked up from the search for his car keys when he heard the tone of her voice.

"Since when do you care about Madison Mackenzie?"

"We may not be best friends but that doesn't give you a right to talk to her like that," Mac said seriously. "What the hell has she ever done to you?"

"Oh, come on, Mac. She's not one of us." Mac's eyebrows shot up and she laughed mirthlessly.

"Not one of us? Oh, and here I could've sworn she was sitting with us at lunch last year," she said sarcastically. She turned to Cassidy and let out a sigh. "Do you need a ride home, Cassidy? I've got my car." Dick clenched his jaw while Cassidy nodded shyly, walking around his brother and following Mac to the green beetle parked across the lot.

--

He nervously twiddled his thumbs in his lap. Alone, in a car, with his brother's girlfriend; no, scratch that: alone, in a car, with the one girl he'd ever taken an interest in.

Nervous didn't even begin to cover how he was feeling.

He could feel sweat coating the back of his neck, his palms following suit as he stared out the window at the familiar scenery. Mac's voice broke through his haze and he jumped a little, turning his head to look at her with wide eyes. She smiled a little and repeated her question, "Ice cream?"

Cassidy nodded his head and swallowed back the lump in his throat.

"Ice cream sounds good," he agreed. He mentally smiled when his voice didn't waver.

--

"No way," she shook her head emphatically. "You are insane."

"You're honestly telling me that you didn't enjoy his adaptation?"

"How can you? Seriously! With the guns and the Hawaiian shirts? Shakespeare probably rolls over in his grave every time someone hits play on their DVD remote," Mac said seriously. Cassidy laughed a little and shook his head, taking another bite of the sundae that was sitting in front of him.

"You have to admit that Baz Luhrmann has an interesting way of directing, though."

"I'll give him that much. Not saying it's a good or bad thing," she smiled at him and he gulped, looking down at his ice cream again.

A comfortable silence fell over their booth and Mac contemplated the sprinkles in her sundae while she licked a few stray drops of soy-based ice cream off of her spoon.

"Did you know Dick doesn't like sprinkles?"

He blinked and looked up at her, the bite of ice cream he'd been about to take hovering unsteadily on his spoon. "Yeah … he used to throw them at me when we were little and my mom would put them on cupcakes." She laughed brightly and then frowned when the reality of what he'd said sank in.

"How do you put up with it?"

He shrugged a little and traced patterns in his bowl. "You get used to it," he said honestly. Mac frowned again and placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently in reassurance.

He almost dropped his spoon because his hands were so slick.

--

Mac pulled the car into the Casablancas driveway and smiled at him.

"Thank you for keeping me company," she said softly. He nodded a little and absently wiped his hands on his jeans before gripping the release handle on the passenger side door. "Want me to take you to pick up your car tomorrow?"

"Um … sure. I mean, if it's not out of your way or anything. I don't want to be a burden," he said hastily. Mac smiled again.

"Cassidy, it's not a problem," she promised. He nodded and offered her a small, hesitant smile as he unlatched the door and got out of the car. He watched her pull out and she waved at him as she turned to go back to her house. He returned the wave with a small smirk and sighed to himself.

"Beaver!"

His eyes widened and he slowly turned around to see his brother standing on the porch and smirking.

"Where the hell have you been?"

His eyes widened a little more and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides to keep them from shaking. "Nowhere, man," he said easily.

"Took you two a while to get here from the beach; didn't know Mac drove like grandma," Dick said sarcastically. Cassidy swallowed hard and walked up the steps, brushing past his brother on his way into the house. When he didn't respond Dick narrowed his eyes. "Beaver!"

Cassidy ignored him and continued on the path to his room, running the last few feet when Dick called his name again and started up the stairs after him. The door closed tightly behind him and he let out a breath, closing his eyes as he slid to the floor and leaned his head back against the wood.


	5. Kisses Have Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't understand WHY you keep asking me if I own these characters. I can assure you I don't. Seriously. Stop it. I'll kick you…

A/N: This was supposed to be posted sooner; my apologies for that. If I were to give you an excuse it would consist of rewriting old English iambic pentameter for my drama class in order to give _Romeo and Juliet_ a happy ending, studying for a math test I most likely failed anyway, and editing a short story for English. But I don't believe in excuses, so let's just get on with the update.

Oh, but before that: I wanted to point out something. When we first met Mac on the show, Veronica assumed her nickname came from her aptitude for computers. Since Mac's last name in this fic is Sinclair, I'm going with the computer theory. Now, the update: seriously, this time.

--

He rang the doorbell again and groaned in frustration when the door remained closed. He could hear the familiar melody of some chick punk song blasting from somewhere in the house. His girlfriend had tried to convince him to listen to it weeks ago; now it was bothering him that he couldn't remember the band. He sighed again and contemplated knocking once more, idly wishing he knew how to pick locks. She was home, and ignoring him, and every time he rang the doorbell the music got louder.

Adding insult to injury, he could see Lauren peeking her head through the curtains every five minutes and giggling.

Dick sat down on the stairs of the Sinclair mansion with a sigh, hands running idly through his messy blonde hair. He tapped his fingers against his knee in an unsteady rhythm, trying to think of a game plan to make Mac leave her house and talk to him.

Since when did she stick up for Madison Mackenzie, anyway?

"Don't make your head explode."

He turned around quickly and stared blankly at the girl leaning against the doorframe. Mac ducked her head and pushed her hair behind her ears, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. Her streaks were blue again; he made a mental note to comment on it later.

"What are you doing here, Dick?"

"Apologizing," he said seriously. Mac rolled her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

He rolled his eyes and stood up, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. "Like Madison would listen to me even if I did," he grumbled.

"You were an ass last night," Mac said honestly. Dick opened his mouth to retaliate and she put a hand up, stopping him. "We were having fun yesterday and you had to ruin a perfectly good afternoon by messing with Madison."

"She was-"

"She wasn't doing _anything_!"

He nodded a little and looked down at the porch, scuffing his shoe against the rug. Mac crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively and let out a heavy sigh.

"Are we going to Shelley's tonight?"

Dick gaped at her, blinking slowly. "You still want to?"

She shrugged, "Figure I can hang out with Veronica. And before you ask: yes, I'm still pissed at you."

The door slammed shut a moment later and he rolled his eyes when he heard the lock click into place.

--

Veronica dropped down to the floor and awkwardly reached an arm under the couch, feeling around on the carpet for her keys. Logan leaned against the wall by the door as he watched her in amusement.

"Need some help?"

She glared at him and huffed, flinging hair out of her face with the force of her breath.

"Why do I always lose my keys whenever you're here? You must be cursed," she decided. She stood up and glanced around the apartment again. Logan narrowed his eyes at her.

"Not like you need that rust bucket, anyway. I have a perfectly wonderful car sitting in the parking lot, just waiting to escort you around."

"Aww, but jackass yellow completely ruins my complexion," Veronica smirked. Her boyfriend rolled his eyes and she laughed, walking toward him and placing a quick kiss on his mouth. "Come on; Neptune's finest await." She pressed another kiss to his mouth and smiled at him.

He tangled their fingers together and they left for the party.

--

Cassidy fidgeted nervously with the red plastic cup in his hands, watching as people jumped in and out of the pool. Naked, fully clothed, bathing-suit clad, it didn't seem to matter to these people.

He idly wondered why he kept showing up at these things.

Mac's laugh filtered through the semi-quiet air of the backyard as she and Veronica walked outside and he tensed.

Oh, yeah. That's why.

--

"Is Wallace coming later?"

Veronica shook her head with a smile, "He's out 'pimping' for the night," she said wryly. Mac grinned and took another sip of her drink, cringing at the bitter taste of it.

"Has Shelley ever thrown a party without alcohol?"

"Blasphemous!"

Mac laughed and turned her head to watch the people who had started the party too early and were now drunkenly swimming in the pool … if it could even be called swimming. She shook her head and continued to look around the backyard, catching site of Cassidy and smiling. Veronica raised an eyebrow at the change in expression and followed her friend's gaze, biting back a comment.

"Cassidy!"

He turned around at the sound of his name and smiled, making his way around the dozen people by the pool and standing next to Veronica.

"Decided not to join in the orgy?" Veronica asked. Cassidy laughed a little and shook his head, looking at the ground.

"Not exactly my cup of tea," he agreed. Veronica smiled and Mac chuckled a little. "Having fun?"

"As much as can be expected at one of these things," Mac nodded. "I could do without watching half of Neptune High groping each other, though."

"But what's a party without groping?" Veronica sighed reverently, laughing when Mac smacked her in the shoulder.

"Speaking of groping, where's Logan?"

"Last I saw he was in an intense debate with Dick," Veronica shot back. "Video games, I think? I don't really recall." Mac glared playfully and Cassidy shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his brother.

Mac opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when Dick stumbled out onto the back deck, shouting randomly and laughing hysterically. Mac frowned.

"Mackey!" he grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulders. She grimaced and pushed him gently away, setting her drink on the porch railing. Cassidy set his jaw and kicked at the ground again while Veronica watched the blonde boy closely.

"Lose another game of 'I Never,' Dick?"

Dick blinked at the short blonde standing in front of him. "How do you _lose_ that game?" Veronica rolled her eyes and Dick threw his arm back around Mac's shoulders.

"Stop it," Mac said quietly. Dick took another sip from the beer bottle in his hand and frowned.

"Are you still mad about yesterday? Get _over_ it, babe, it's done."

"I'd be more inclined to _get over it_," Mac hissed, "If you weren't drunk and all over me."

"You're objecting to sex because I'm _drunk_?" Dick scoffed, "Please! Like you were any better the last time we went to a party." Mac gritted her teeth and pushed him away again, standing next to Veronica.

"We'll talk about this later," she said firmly.

"Talk about what?" Dick smiled and stumbled a little, leaning against the porch railing for support. Mac's half-empty cup of punch hit the ground behind him with a splash.

"Nothing," Mac shook her head angrily and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Veronica touched her arm briefly and she shook her head again, glaring at her boyfriend.

"No, really! Tell me how much I disgust you. Tell them," he gestured to Cassidy and Veronica, "How much it repulses you to touch me."

Mac laughed humorlessly and shook her head again before turning around and walking back into the house. Veronica took a moment to glare daggers at Dick before following, Cassidy close behind.

--

She sat down on the front steps with a sigh, putting her head in her hands. People walked around her to get into the house and she ran her hands through her hair with a controlled sniffle.

She would _not_ cry over Dick Casablancas.

Someone sat down next to her and she settled her hands in the hair at the base of her neck, closing her eyes tightly. This night officially sucked.

"You know, I think if my brother were to say something nice his head would explode."

Mac smiled in spite of her self and lowered her hands to her lap, turning to look at the boy next to her. "I'd be inclined to agree if I didn't have proof that wasn't true."

Cassidy nodded, "But isn't it true that people are more inclined to tell the truth when drunk?"

"As a general rule, yes," Mac laughed lightly and wiped at her eyes, sniffling again as she tucked her hands into the sleeves of her jacket.

"Hey," he said quietly, resting a hand on her forearm. She looked up at him again and he frowned, wiping away a stray tear with a quaking hand. Mac swallowed.

"He's not exactly known for his tact," Cassidy continued softly. "Don't let him get to you."

"You really shouldn't have to give me this speech so often," she laughed shakily and he sighed, wiping away the rest of her tears. He managed to steady his hand and she fought back a shiver at his gentle caresses.

Dick never touched her like that.

She shook the thought from her head and impulsively kissed him on the cheek. Cassidy stiffened and she smiled at him. "Thank you," she said seriously. He nodded a little and gave her a shaky smile as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her jeans. "I think I'm gonna head back in there," she nodded toward the party and held a hand out to him. "Keep me company?"

He nodded and took the hand she offered as he stood up, making his way through the crowd while the sweat gathered on the back of his neck.

Dick stood in the doorway to the kitchen, glaring when he saw his little brother and his girlfriend laughing and wandering around the party together.

--

"Mmm, sleepy," Veronica yawned, slumping against Logan as he carried her toward the door. He shook his head and kicked another empty cup out of his way.

"I should have cut you off hours ago," he laughed. She grimaced at the volume of his words and cuddled closer to him. Mac shook her head when she saw the pair and opened the door for them.

"Someone had a little too much fun, huh?"

"Were you with her tonight?"

Mac nodded, "For a while. Cassidy and I ended up hanging out for the last few hours but before that I was with her."

"Did she drink anything weird? She's normally not this much of a lightweight," Logan commented. Mac frowned a little and shrugged.

"Not that I know of."

Logan nodded and told Mac he'd see her later before adjusting his grip on Veronica and carrying her out to his car.

--

Cassidy stood staring down at the water of his pool. He was dead tired; Shelley's parties always managed to do that to him. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't seem to fall asleep tonight.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Some reason wasn't really true. Mac. That was true. He ran his hands through his hair again and closed his eyes. He swore he could still feel her lips on his skin. And it had been so innocent! Just a kiss on the cheek, and he was standing there at three in the morning staring at his reflection in his pool like it held the answer to all of his troubles.

Not that he had any, really. Unless you counted asshole brothers and girls that kissed him on the cheek for no real reason.

He sighed again and absently scratched the back of his neck.

The next moment he was trying to find his way to the surface of the pool. He sputtered when he surfaced and wiped the chlorine out of his eyes, glaring harshly at his brother.

"What the hell, Dick!"

Dick pointed his finger at him with surprising sharpness. Cassidy realized with a start that he'd sobered up since he left Shelley's a few hours ago. "Stay the hell away from Mac," Dick said vehemently. He turned and walked back into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

Cassidy stood dumbfounded in the pool. Apparently that kiss had consequences.


	6. I Think

Disclaimer: I still don't own them; leave me alone.

--

He groaned and rolled over in his bed, burying his head in his pillow. His brother's stupid ringtone was taking away any and all sleep he wanted to get that morning and he was ready to shoot the stupid kid if he didn't answer his phone soon.

"Dude, Beaver! Answer your fucking cell phone!"

The only response he got was the sound of the shower from across the hall. With a roll of his eyes and another half-hearted groan, he pushed himself out of bed and rubbed at his eyes as he stumbled down the hallway toward his brother's room.

"What the hell?" He stopped in the doorway and stared at the perfectly clean floor in confusion. He didn't even know they had blue carpet upstairs.

Cassidy's phone vibrated on the bed stand and started playing that damn ringtone again and he turned his attention from the color of the carpet to the small, plastic device with narrowed eyes. Dick walked further into the room and grabbed the phone, dropping down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. He looked at the caller id and nearly dropped the damn thing back on the floor.

Mac Cell.

His eyes narrowed further and he threw the phone behind him, not even noticing the loud thud it made when it landed on the floor and continued to vibrate madly. The loud, tinny sound of the ringtone followed him as he stormed out of the room and back down the hall, throwing open the door of the bathroom with a flourish.

"Dude, we have three other bathrooms!" Cassidy complained. He stuck his head around the shower curtain and widened his eyes. Dick stood in the doorway seething.

Cassidy shut the water off hurriedly and blindly grabbed for the towel he'd hung on the rack five minutes ago, wrapping it around his waist as quickly as he could. He stepped out of the shower a second later and Dick leaned against the doorway, blocking his only chance of escape.

"Your phone was ringing," Dick proclaimed. Cassidy raised his eyebrows and nodded a little.

"Okay…"

"Now do you want your ass on the flagpole? Or should I come up with something more creative?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mac called you, dude!" Cassidy paused and looked up at his brother again.

"Really?"

Dick lunged for his brother and Cassidy jumped out of the way, for once thankful for his size as he darted past Dick and out of the bathroom, running down the hall and into his room without looking back. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it, breathing hard as he leaned against the wood.

His phone rang and he slowly stepped away from his door, ignoring Dick's pounding as he cocked his head to read the caller id.

Mac Cell.

He smiled and bent over to pick up the phone as he started searching his closet for a clean pair of jeans. "Hey, Mac."

--

She moaned tiredly and turned over in her bed, scrunching up her nose when she was assaulted with the sunlight streaming in through the window. She let out a sigh and rolled over on her back, rubbing at her eyes and yawning.

She frowned when she heard her boyfriend yelling at someone in the living room and crawled out of bed to find out what was going on.

"Dude, what the hell do you mean you didn't know? Are you that dense that you didn't even check?"

Veronica leaned against the wall and ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to repair some of the damage that sleeping no doubt caused it. Logan ran his hand over his face in frustration as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone line.

"Yeah, you should be pretty damn pleased that nothing happened to her last night, man."

She frowned and walked into the living room, sitting down next to him on the couch and rubbing a hand across his back. Logan looked up at her and forced a small smile before turning back to his conversation.

"Whatever, Sean. Next time you decide to give Luke his fix, make sure you're not drugging my girlfriend," he said seriously. He flipped his phone shut and tossed it onto the coffee table before leaning against the back of the couch with a sigh. Veronica stared at him in horror.

"I was…"

"Nothing happened. Luke asked Sean to set him up with the GHB he'd bought last week and Sean accidentally put it in your drink."

"Oh," Veronica said quietly. "But nothing…"

"No," Logan said vehemently. He turned his head to look at her and she bit her lip when she saw how dark his eyes were. He sighed and his voice softened slightly. "You passed out on me before we left the party, but other than that, no."

"Okay," she nodded. "Did you sleep here last night?"

Logan watched her as she got up and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "Slept on the couch; your dad wasn't home."

"Yeah, he got a lead on a bail jumper last night and had to take off. He called me when we were at Shelley's."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Veronica sighed and swallowed a couple of aspirin, nodding her head quickly. She walked back into the living room and planted herself on his lap, looping her arms around his neck.

"Sean, on the other hand, probably won't be once I'm through with him."

Logan laughed and pressed a kiss against her mouth while he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

--

She furrowed her brow when she saw him sneaking around the back of the house, ducking under every window and frantically looking around the yard. She couldn't help but laugh when he tripped over the rocks lining the garden and she smiled when he finally got in her car.

"Practicing for your Bond audition, Cass?"

Cassidy glared at her as she pulled out of the driveway. "Dick wants to roast my ass and put me on a platter," he said seriously, "I had to sneak out my window."

Mac sighed, "Is he still mad about last night?"

"Oh, no," he shook his head, laughing. "He saw your name on my caller id this morning and flipped out. Walked in on me in the shower and asked if I wanted to be taped to the flagpole."

"Well then I guess we're going to have to keep you out all day, hmm?" She smiled brightly at him and he nodded a little, nervously returning the gesture. "Okay. So I'm thinking we check out the movie theater and get in a little mocking, then maybe grab lunch," she continued, oblivious to his nervous fidgeting.

"Y-yeah," he nodded, "Sounds good." Mac smiled at him again and he clenched his fists in the material of his jeans as he returned the gesture.

--

Her cell phone rang as they sat down at a table at PF Chang's and she frowned as she pulled it out of her purse. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Dick's name on the caller id and she shook her head before turning her phone off and dropping it back into her purse.

"Think he wants to apologize?"

"He probably doesn't even remember what happened," Cassidy returned. Mac laughed again and he swallowed audibly as he picked up his menu.

"I wanted to apologize for that."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed lightly, looking down at the table. "For Dick last night … he had no right to drag you and Veronica into it, and I'm sorry."

"Hey, didn't I tell you last night that my brother's not known for his tact?" He smiled at her, "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault he's an asshole."

She nodded, "I know. It just pisses me off that he's so intent on pouring our problems on other people."

"That's just … Dick."

"He wasn't like this when we first started dating," she said after a moment. Cassidy set down his menu and listened to her with interest, wiping the sweat off his palms with his napkin. "He was so sweet and he had a sense of humor, albeit a perverted one," she chuckled. "My fault for falling for it, huh?"

"He does care about you, Mac," he said softly. Mac felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine when he said her name and she frowned slightly.

"Yeah. Guess I'm just not used to having a caveman for a boyfriend."

"As no one should be," he agreed. She giggled, high and sweet, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. He opened his mouth to say something else when their waiter approached the table, and Mac's attention left him as she recited her order. Cassidy sighed and did the same, ignoring the way his hands shook when he handed their waiter his menu.

--

"His car's not here; I think you're safe."

Cassidy nodded as he looked around the driveway, gulping back the lump that had formed in his throat. Mac leaned her head against the back of her seat and smiled at him.

"Tell Dick to stop calling me."

He stared at her in horror and she shook her head lightly. "Nevermind, I'll just ignore his calls," she laughed, "Wouldn't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."

"Thanks for that," he laughed nervously. He opened the door and was about to step out of the car when she put her hand on his arm and stopped him.

She stared at him for a moment before leaning in and brushing her lips across his lightly, jerking away from him before he could respond. He gulped again and got out of the car, running his hands through his hair as he watched her back out.

Dick was going to kill him.

--

Veronica looked up from her laptop when someone knocked on the door. "Now why would I ever discredit your pimp status?" she asked cheerfully. Wallace laughed on the other end of the line and she stood from the couch to go answer the door.

"Jealous, maybe?"

She gasped, "Jealous of you? Why would I have reason to be jealous of my BFF?" she laughed. She opened the door as he responded and frowned.

Mac smiled shakily and wrung her hands together as she stood on the porch.

"Yeah, Wallace? I'm going to have to call you back…"

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to you later, girl."

"Bye," she said distractedly. She hung up the phone and raised an eyebrow at the other girl. "Something wrong, Mac?"

"I think I like Cassidy."


	7. Betting On It

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own. Leave now.

--

Veronica blinked, staring at her friend as she let the phone hang loosely from her hand.

"Oh, so you must be the intelligent twin," she nodded in understanding, "Of course."

Mac rolled her eyes and pushed past the blonde into the apartment, running her hands through her hair as she paced around the living room. Veronica closed the door and watched her with a smirk, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Mac stopped pacing after a few minutes and took a deep breath as she turned to look at her friend, eyes wide.

"I think I like Cassidy."

"You said that already."

"Cassidy! My boyfriend's little brother!"

"I am aware of who he is, Mac, but thank you for the reminder," Veronica grinned. Mac rolled her eyes.

"This is so far from funny."

"Don't be such a drama queen," she sighed, "It's not the end of the world."

"It'll be the end of Cassidy's once Dick finds out."

"Well then you should tell him when he's really, really drunk. So that'd be … hmm. About eighty percent of the time? Just avoid bringing it up during the other twenty."

Mac glared and sat down on the edge of the coffee table as Veronica flopped onto the couch. "Can you be serious, please? I need advice, here."

Veronica sighed heavily and snuggled further into the couch. "Honestly?"

"Since that does seem to be your strong suit," Mac nodded.

"I think you'd be better off with Cassidy."

"Figured as much."

"That's because you agree."

"I do not."

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."

"Dick is a good guy! And a good boyfriend when he's not drunk and rambling about untruthful things," Mac defended. Veronica raised an eyebrow. "He is!"

"Oh, I'm sure he's the best of the cavemen," Veronica agreed. Mac sighed and ran her hand through her hair again, scrunching up her nose in irritation.

"I kissed him."

"Dick? I know; you two are great friends with PDA."

"Cassidy." Veronica blinked, then smiled slowly.

"And we're having this conversation … why?" Mac groaned.

--

He stared at the ceiling and drummed his fingers on his stomach. He sighed and rolled his neck a little, easing the tension from the odd angle that his head was at. With an upside-down glance at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he let out another sigh and let his head drop back down off the edge of the mattress.

Dick walked past Cassidy's bedroom door on his way to his room and paused, cocking his head to the side as he looked at his brother.

"Dude, are you dead?"

"Yes, Dick," Cassidy rolled his eyes, "Promise to tell Dad I loved him?"

"Only if I get to bury your ass first."

Cassidy raised his head to look at his brother and raised an eyebrow. "You seem calm."

"Went to Logan's," he shrugged.

"That explains it," Cassidy nodded. He'd always found his brother's weird man crush on their friend to be extremely entertaining. Dick frowned and opened his mouth to comment, but was cut off by that damn ringtone that had woken him up that morning. He narrowed his eyes at the phone and grumbled when Cassidy sat up to answer it. Dick walked the rest of the way to his room and firmly shut the door behind him, leaving Cassidy alone to his phone call.

He gulped when he saw the caller id and answered with a timid, "Hello?"

"I'm sorry."

He blinked, "For what?"

"For … earlier."

"Are we practicing our vague responses today, Mac?"

She laughed, the tension in her voice easing with the action. "Maybe." He rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha," he deadpanned. "But … don't worry about it."

"It?"

"That … thing. The thing that happened earlier."

"Oh. That."

"Yeah."

"Okay," she nodded, smiling as she flopped down on her bed. "So what are you doing?"

He grinned and adjusted on his bed so that he was more comfortable. "Nothing. Attempting to do the AP English summer reading."

"Oh! What is it this year?" she asked excitedly. He smiled a little and reached for the book, pulling it off of his nightstand and flipping through it idly.

"Pride and Prejudice."

"Wow," she smiled, "Our teachers certainly do like to stick to routine, don't they?"

"Seems so," he agreed. "Have you read it?"

"A few times."

"I'm halfway through it," Cassidy commented, a little disdainfully. Mac frowned slightly.

"Do you like it?"

"I've read better."

"You're such a guy," she rolled her eyes.

"Would you prefer that I wasn't?" She grinned and bit back a giggle, sighing as she snuggled into her bed. Her phone beeped loudly in her ear and she frowned as she pulled it away from her ear to check the call waiting.

When the words _Dick Cell_ flashed across the screen she pressed the ignore button and went back to her conversation.

--

Logan groaned the next morning when his girlfriend came traipsing into his bedroom, hopping on the bed and demanding that he get up. He swatted at the air behind him as he rolled over on his stomach and buried his head in a pillow. Veronica stopped bouncing and lay down next to him, pressing kisses against his bare shoulder to coax him awake.

"Ronnie," he groaned, turning his head and looking at her through half-open eyes, "It's like six."

"And we have a beach date with Wallace and Mac and her stupid boyfriend and his brother," she smiled and bit his earlobe gently. "Get up!"

"This is cruel," he complained lightly. Veronica pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and poked at his arm until he lifted it and she cuddled into him, his arm circling her waist while he turned onto his side to face her.

"Tough love, baby," she laughed. Logan rolled his eyes and kissed her softly.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Hi," she returned quietly, kissing him again. He tugged her closer and she shook her head, kissing the tip of his nose. "You need to shower."

"We're going to the beach."

"And?"

"Why do I need to take a shower in order to surf?"

"To make me happy," she affected a high-pitched voice. "You know you're just so _dreamy_ when you're all wet from the shower," she breathed. Logan groaned again and buried his head in her shoulder.

"Don't ever use that voice in my presence again."

"Annoying?"

"You have no idea."

--

He shook the water out of his hair and smiled when he saw her walking down the sand toward him. He stuck his surfboard in the wet sand beside him and opened his arms in a wide, welcoming gesture, earning an eye roll and a scoff.

"You act like I ran away to Paris," she teased. Dick smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him and kissing her hard. Mac pushed at his chest and stepped back from him. "And you're lucky I decided to answer my phone last night," she continued, "Because normally I leave it inside when I'm out in the pool."

"I just have awesome timing," he decided. Mac nodded and bit back a smirk.

He didn't need to know that she'd ignored his first three calls in favor of talking to his little brother.

"Logan! Dude!"

She turned around and smiled when she saw Veronica and Logan approaching, Wallace in tow. Her eyes scanned the beach and a large smile stretched across her face when she saw Cassidy, earning an eyebrow raise from Veronica as she walked the last few feet toward her.

"Regretting your decision?"

Mac sighed and turned her attention back to her friend. "I haven't exactly made one yet."

"You might want to do that," Veronica nodded, "Love triangles are no fun." Mac smiled, glad that Veronica was finally able to joke about the events that had taken place at the beginning of their summer.

Duncan had done everything in his power to win her back while she had spent nearly every waking moment with Logan, learning to trust him and helping him trust her, ignoring her first love in favor of her new one. Duncan had ended up leaving for Europe with his parents only two weeks after Veronica and Logan had officially reconciled, and none of them had heard from him since.

"You would know about that, wouldn't you?" Mac teased.

"What can I say? I'm simply irresistible," Veronica shrugged innocently. Wallace snorted as he walked past them to join Cassidy and she laughed, slapping him in the arm.

"I disagree," Dick shook his head. He wrapped his arm around Mac's shoulders and stared at Veronica. "The only way I'd ever-"

Mac slapped a hand across his mouth and gave him a warning glare. He shut his mouth and headed back to the water with a swift nod, shouting at Logan to wait for him as he paddled out toward the taller boy. Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Please," she groaned, walking toward Cassidy and Wallace, "Tell me the girl has some intelligence!" She looked toward the sky and clasped her hands together, "Let her pick the good one!" Mac laughed and shoved her before laying out a towel and sitting down on it with a sigh.

Cassidy shifted a little, earning an amused glance from Veronica.

"You okay there, Cass?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine, Veronica."

"Are you sure? You look like you're ready to jump out of your skin at any minute."

"No," he shook his head, smiling a little, "I'm good."

Wallace and Veronica exchanged glances while Cassidy engaged in nervous conversation with Mac. He rolled his eyes and Veronica grinned, winking at him.

Dick shouted something from the water and the group turned and watched as he wiped out hard, his board surfacing with a slight jump and smacking him on the back of the head. Logan shook his head from a few feet away, barely containing his laughter.

The rest of the group could barely breathe from their hysterics.

--

"No more surfing today," she shook her head.

He pouted as he sat down on the beach, arms crossed in front of his chest. Veronica rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Aww," she mocked, "Poor baby."

"Shut up," he grumbled. She smiled a little and sat down in the sand beside him.

"Will you at least let me clean it? I don't want you to get all infected," she scrunched up her nose. Logan glared at her and then relented, moving his leg so she could see the cut on his calf. She pressed her towel against it and frowned when he winced. "How deep is it?"

He shook his head, "Not very."

"So we won't be reenacting an episode of ER?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

"Damn, and here I was hoping for my first stethoscope!" Logan grinned in spite of himself and Veronica smiled, kissing his cheek chastely before grabbing the first aid kit that was sitting beside her. "Hold still," she commanded softly. He nodded and she ran an antiseptic cloth across the wound, subconsciously gripping his hand in hers when he winced.

She placed a band-aid over it a second later and smiled brilliantly. "All better."

"You aren't going to kiss it?"

"I don't want whatever disease you have."

"I think I'm hurt."

"Well, duh. Why else would I have just put that thing on your leg?" Logan rolled his eyes while Veronica climbed into his lap, burying her face in his neck. He sighed and kissed her hair absently, eyes trailing over the group of people that were gathered just a few feet away from them.

Dick was passed out with his head in Mac's lap, having given up on the surfing an hour ago when his surfboard had kicked his ass … literally. Mac was talking animatedly with Cassidy, who was lying on a towel next to her and returning her enthusiastic smiles with ones of his own, waving his hands in the air dramatically. Wallace was seated next to Cassidy, contributing to the conversation every few minutes.

Veronica sighed against Logan's shoulder and he looked down at her with a smirk. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head and kissed the side of his neck gently. "Just thinking."

Mac let out a loud, bright laugh and they both turned to look at her. She fell backwards from the force of her laughter and Logan smirked. Veronica grinned at the display: Mac, laughing hysterically with a sleeping Dick lying on her lap, Cassidy trying to reign in his own chuckles, Wallace pursing his lips together to keep from commenting.

"Think she'll pick the Beaver?" Logan asked absently. Veronica smiled.

"I'm pretty much betting on it."


	8. Over An Elf

Disclaimer: Nope, nope, and … nope.

A/N: This was supposed to be posted a lot sooner than this … written a lot sooner than this, actually. But I was caught up with my three other fics that I've got going right now and my head refused to participate in the conversations needed for this chapter. My apologies.

--

She furrowed her brow and stared blankly at the girl that was sitting in front of her.

"I'm sorry. You want me to what?"

"Prove that my boyfriend is cheating on me," Madison rolled her eyes. "He's been practically ignoring me for the past couple of weeks and I want to know what's going on."

"We are talking about Corny, am I right?" Veronica blinked. "Why would you think he's cheating on you?"

"Hello! Do you _ever_ listen when other people speak? He's been _ignoring_ me."

"You realize Corny is high about seventy-five percent of the time, yes?"

"What's your point?"

"Has he been ignoring you during the other twenty-five?"

"Um …"

"You know what?" Veronica raised her hands in surrender and smiled. "Whatever. If you can pay me, I'll be happy to get your proof." Madison frowned.

"I thought you did favors for friends."

"I do."

"So…"

Veronica stared at her incredulously. "We aren't friends."

"Fine! Whatever," Madison stood abruptly and flicked her hair back impatiently. She scoffed when Logan walked into the office and brushed past him in annoyance, slamming the door behind her for added effect. Logan watched her with a smirk before turning around to face his girlfriend.

"Someone lose their spot at the watering hole?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "She thinks Corny's cheating on her."

"I'm so certain I don't want to know why," Logan shook his head and leaned over the desk, kissing her chastely. "Hi."

"Hi," she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"You look stressed," he commented as he sat down. He flung his feet up on the desk and she leaned over to push them back to the floor, glaring at him.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she rolled her eyes, smiling. "I'm just tired. Add that to the fact that I just spent the last forty-five minutes listening to Madison Mackenzie whine about how difficult her life is, and voila! Instant stress."

"I'm sorry, baby," he frowned. "Ask your dad to let you go home early; we'll take the boat and go sailing."

"It's almost noon now."

"So?"

"I thought your rule for surfing applied to sailing, too. Any later than eleven and it's useless?"

"Well, you thought wrong." She smirked and nodded at him, sighing as she stood to go talk to her dad.

--

She kicked at the carpeting and shrugged her shoulders helplessly, nipping at her bottom lip. He set his jaw and nodded a little, looking at the ground in front of him and clenching his fists at his sides.

"I'm sorry, Dick," Mac sighed and sat down on the arm of the couch.

"Whatever," he shook his head and turned around, storming out of the Sinclair mansion and slamming the door loudly behind him.

She winced when the walls vibrated, the paintings her mother had precariously hung just two hours ago convulsing violently with the action. With a sigh she fell back on the couch.

"Mac, honey? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Mom, everything's fine," she smiled at her mother. The older woman nodded and patted Mac on the knee before walking out of the room and leaving for her salon appointment.

"Everything's just _fine_," she muttered.

--

"Beave!"

Dick stopped at the bottom of the stairs and leaned against the railing while he waited for a response. He frowned when he didn't get one and called his little brother's name again. His voice reverberated off the walls and he rolled his eyes.

"Of course, Logan's out with his skank and the Beaver's off at Nerdfest '05," he muttered to himself, climbing the stairs slowly. "Nevermind Dick needs a little play time," he continued, making a face and waving his hands in the air as he walked down the hall toward his room.

His cell phone rang and he flopped down on the bed as he answered it.

"Hey, man, I got your message."

"Dude! Ditch the skank and let's go out tonight; drinks and strippers, my treat," Dick prodded. Logan sighed.

"You do know I love a good pole dance, but I promised Veronica we'd have a movie night."

"Whipped," Dick coughed into his fist and grinned. "Come on, man, Dick needs a little play."

"Certainly you can go to your girlfriend for that."

"History, dude."

"She dumped you?"

Dick frowned when he heard Veronica's giggle in the background. Logan said something to her that he didn't quite catch and he frowned again. "Why do you assume she dumped me?"

"Because you're never the dumper," Logan sighed, "You're the dumpee."

"Whatever," Dick shrugged. "Lemme tag along tonight." Logan sighed. "Come on, man, I promise I'll be nice."

"Feeling optimistic, are we?" Dick remained silent and Logan sighed again. "Fine; be at my place at seven."

The line went dead and Dick grinned triumphantly. He'd get Logan out before the night was over; it was just a matter of distracting Veronica long enough to do it.

--

She opened the front door and smirked, leaning nonchalantly against the doorway. "Password?"

"Beer," he held up a six pack and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Nope, sorry, try again," she grinned perkily. Logan walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back into the house.

"Play nicely, Veronica, Dick's part of the broken hearts club now." She scoffed.

"I'd like to break-"

"Go order your precious manicotti," Logan kissed her quickly and playfully shoved her toward the kitchen. Veronica stuck her tongue out at him but did as he said, the prospect of Italian food taking priority over a verbal sparring match with Dick.

Logan patted Dick on the shoulder and took the alcohol from him, following the path his girlfriend had taken just a moment ago. "So how's the single life?"

"Shitty," Dick commented. "Especially since my _friend_ is too busy having sex with his girlfriend to go party with me."

"Careful, Dick," Logan wagged a finger, "You're starting to sound like a jealous lover."

"Speaking of, spoken to Duncan lately?"

"Duncan has retreated to the land of the nonverbal," Logan replied. "Not sure if I'll ever get another word out of him."

"Sucks, man," Dick nodded gravely. "But you've got me," he grinned and patted Logan on the shoulder as he hopped up onto the counter.

"Am I interrupting something? Should I go order some more food?" Veronica grinned and dropped the phone back into the cradle as she walked into the kitchen. Logan rolled his eyes.

"Not like you didn't already order enough to feed an entire African tribe."

"I resent that!" she cried, swatting his shoulder playfully. After a pause, "Ethiopian, maybe."

Logan grinned, "My mistake. Did you pick out our entertainment for the evening?"

"I thought that's why you invited Dick over," she batted her eyelashes at him and he chuckled, leaning over and kissing her forehead softly.

"Dude, sitting right here!"

"Yes, I picked the movie," she rolled her eyes. "Hitchcock okay with you?"

"Perfect," Logan nodded and looked at his friend. "Or would you rather see the new Orlando flick?"

"I seem to recall _you_ getting all sweaty over the Lord of the Rings," Dick retorted.

"Funny," Logan cocked his head to the side. "I remember the Beaver calling and asking me why you were gushing over an elf."

"I don't gush, dude."

"Notice how he didn't actually deny the elf portion of that," Veronica grinned at Logan as the three of them walked into the living room.

"Well, we both know how much he hates to lie," Logan agreed. He flopped down on the couch and Veronica sat down next to him, curling into his side as he started the movie.

Dick rolled his eyes and sat down in an armchair with a sigh. Apparently he wasn't going anywhere tonight.

--

He stumbled down the stairs sleepily, rubbing his eyes and yawning hugely. He'd gotten home five minutes before Dick had taken off to go meet Logan and hadn't had the patience to find out why his brother looked so depressed.

He yawned again as he opened the door and closed his eyes, failing to see the girl standing in front of him until she spoke up and forced him to look at her.

"Hey, Mac," he smiled. "If you're looking for Dick-"

"I'm not," she shook her head. Cassidy nodded a little and backed up, letting her in and scratching the back of his head. Mac flicked her thumbs against each other nervously, looking around and taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Cassidy chuckled. "You're not dying or anything, are you?" Mac stared helplessly at him and his smile faded. He widened his eyes, "Oh, God. Are you?"

"No! No," she laughed, the tension in her shoulders easing with the action. She took a deep breath and smiled hopefully at him, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I'm just a little … edgy."

"Care to share?" He walked into the living room and she followed slowly, sweaty palms pressed tightly against her sides when she pulled them out of her pockets. He sat down on the couch and she perched precariously on the opposite armrest, twiddling her thumbs again.

"Dick and I broke up."

Cassidy blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah," she sighed, nodding. "So I'm a little …"

"A little …"

"Nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Around … you," she reddened and looked at the floor, shakily tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Oh," he repeated dumbly. He shook his head to clear the sudden buzzing in his ears and stared at her, resisting the urge to ask why.

"Yeah," she nodded awkwardly. Her teeth latched onto her bottom lip and he glued his eyes to the site, palms starting to sweat as he shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"Awkward silence."

They both laughed at that and he smiled when she slipped down onto the couch itself, sinking into the cushions a little. Cassidy wiped his hands on his jeans and cautiously edged closer to her.

"Well, do you want to…?"

"Want to … what?"

"Um…" he gulped, "We could …"

Mac smiled. "Cassidy?"

"Yeah?" his voice cracked nervously and her smile widened.

"Do you want to kiss me?"

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as she scooted closer and pressed two fingers under his chin, shutting his mouth with a clink. She giggled prettily.

"Because if you do…" she trailed off and a deep blush rose to her face, painting her cheeks a becoming shade of pink. Cassidy swallowed audibly and reached up to take her hand, intertwining their fingers. He gave her a shaky smile and leaned closer to her.

Mac pressed her lips against his and sighed as she relaxed against him.

--

Dick stared at the couple on the couch as they giggled against each other's mouths, pressing closer to each other as they completely ignored – or forgot, he assumed – his presence in the room. He rolled his eyes and stood, walking over to the couch and plopping down right in between them, effectively cutting off their make-out session as he squeezed in between their bodies.

Veronica glared at him and opened her mouth to protest before shutting it with a clink, setting her jaw and ignoring him as she crossed her arms over her chest and focused her attention back on the movie.

Logan, on the other hand, cuffed Dick on the back of the head and glared at him. "Dude, do you mind?"

"No; do you?"

"We were kind of in the middle of something," Logan narrowed his eyes. Veronica watched in amusement as Dick returned the glare.

"Like we need any more little Mars products running around this town."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Better than another little Dick running around," she retorted indignantly.

"There ain't nothin' little about it, Ronnie."

"Okay!" Logan clapped his hands together and stood when Veronica narrowed her eyes, effectively cutting off whatever comment she'd been about to make. "Veronica has to be up early in the morning, so I should probably be getting her home," he nodded, cheerfully. "You can show yourself out, can't you, Dick?"

Dick rolled his eyes and stood. "Whatever, man." He turned to Veronica, "If you ever want to disprove that little misnomer you've got in your head, call me." He winked and left a moment later, the door slamming loudly behind him.

Veronica huffed and sat back on the couch. "Did you have to be the nice guy and invite him over?"

"He sounded so pathetic," Logan retorted as he sat down next to her. She rolled her eyes and crawled into his lap until she was straddling him.

"What ever happened to the jackass I started dating three months ago?"

"Got shipped off to Iraq," he said gravely. "Guess you're stuck with me until he gets home." Veronica sighed and pressed a kiss against his mouth, looping her arms around his neck tightly.

"I think I can handle that," she grinned as he kissed her again.

--

Cassidy shakily ran his hands across Mac's stomach, smiling confidently against her mouth when she shivered. She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled away, panting, and rested her forehead against his.

"I should get going," she whispered. He nodded and kissed her cheek softly.

"Dick will be home soon," he agreed.

"Yeah," she breathed as their lips met again – softly, slowly – and she sighed as she pulled away and stood up. "I think …"

"We should probably…"

"Keep this to ourselves," they finished in unison. Mac smiled at him and he blushed a little, nodding as he picked at the couch cushions.

"Night, Cassidy," she said softly. He nodded and walked her to the door, kissing her one last time before wishing her a goodnight. He waved as she pulled out of the driveway and leaned against the doorway, running a hand over his face.

Dick was not going to be pleased.


	9. War of the Worlds

Disclaimer: I still don't own them, though I truly wish I did.

A/N: Been a while! I know; I kind of suck for that but this month is testing month for me. Month and a half and I'll be out of school for the summer, however, so be expecting lots of fic from me after that. And in the meantime: leave me a review?

--

His tongue traced a slow path down the hollow of her throat and dipped into the space behind her ear. She gasped underneath him and dug her nails into his shoulder blades, laughing against his mouth when he kissed her again. The material of her t-shirt was pushed off the skin of her stomach and she closed her eyes with a sigh, settling further into the couch cushions.

And then the front door swung open.

"Dude! Logan! You lose your phone?"

"Tell me he isn't actually here," she requested. Logan chuckled and slid his hands out from her shirt as Dick walked into the living room. He grimaced when he saw the couple.

"Fucking gross, man," Dick shook his head and flopped down on the adjacent couch. Veronica ground her teeth together. Logan rolled his eyes and slowly pushed off of his girlfriend, sending her an apologetic smirk as he sat back on the couch.

"So I assume family time is over."

"Beaver was all skittish and Dad had to leave early for an 'appointment' with Kendall."

"New step-mom?" Logan asked disinterestedly. He glanced over at Veronica and she rolled her eyes as she pulled her tangled hair into a pony tail.

"She's hot, too, dude. Ex-Lakers Girl."

"Thrilling," Veronica commented. Logan smirked and stood up, brushing her shoulder absently as he headed in the direction of the kitchen. She glanced up at him and scowled imperceptibly. It wasn't exactly her idea of fun to be left alone in her boyfriend's living room with Dick Casablancas.

"Wouldn't expect you to understand, Ronnie," Dick leered. "You have to actually be _hot_ to get that job."

"And here I thought they accepted anything with legs!"

"Boobs," Dick corrected.

"Oh, bummer," she pouted. "But the Hooters manager told me all I needed was one more cup size to work for him! Think it's the same rule for the Lakers girls?"

"Well, they wouldn't have to waste time training you," Logan commented. He vaulted over the back of the couch to sit next to her. "All that time on pep squad has to have stuck with you."

"You just want to see me in the uniform," she rolled her eyes.

"Willing to wear it?"

"In your dreams."

"Every night," Logan sighed wistfully. Dick furrowed his brow in distaste and Veronica laughed as she fell back against the end of the couch.

--

The front door opened and he smiled at the young girl standing in front of him. She blinked and cocked her head to the side as she appraised him.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked politely. She forced a smile and he chuckled a little.

"Is Mac home?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Are you Cassidy?"

"Yeah," he nodded a little. The girl held out her hand and smiled brightly at him. He shook her hand hesitantly.

"I'm Lauren; Mac's little sister," she explained. "She told me you were coming over today."

Cassidy grinned, "Does that mean you're going to let me in?"

"Are you sure you're related to Dick?" Lauren frowned. "He was never this nice."

"Yeah, well," he chuckled and saw Mac jog down the stairs, stopping abruptly when she saw him. She gave him a brief smile and then turned her attention to her little sister.

"Didn't Mom tell you to stop answering the door?"

"Only if I don't know the person!" Lauren turned around and crossed her arms defensively. Mac mimicked her pose and raised an eyebrow.

"And did you know Cassidy before you opened the door?"

"No," Lauren shook her head. "But he didn't _look_ like a computer salesman."

"You do realize that Mom cancelled that order you made, right?"

"What! I need those programs!"

"You need a new DVD program? We just bought you one for your birthday last year," Mac argued. Lauren pouted.

"That one doesn't have all the features I need."

"You'll get over it," Mac rolled her eyes. "If you want you can go play around on my laptop until dinner." Lauren smiled brightly and hugged her sister tightly before taking off up the stairs. Mac laughed and turned her attention to Cassidy, who was still standing on the porch. "You can come in, you know," she smiled.

He nodded and stepped inside the house, shutting the door behind him with a click. He turned around to face her and smiled. She returned the gesture.

"So, you met Lauren."

"I did," he nodded. "Mini Mac," he laughed. She rolled her eyes and took an imperceptible step closer to him.

"Everyone calls her that. It drives her crazy," she laughed. "Last time Dad called her that she threw a fit and refused to answer to anything but her full name for three hours. It made dinner rather difficult since we had a bunch of guests over. Mom was so annoyed," she continued. Cassidy smiled again and she continued telling her story, her words blurring together as she spoke faster and faster.

His mouth pressed against hers and she made a surprised sound in the back of her throat before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

"Hi," he grinned when they parted. Mac blushed.

"Hi," she returned softly. They kissed again and she tugged him closer to her.

A loud screech came from upstairs and they broke apart abruptly. Mac spun around as Lauren rushed to the top of the stairs with an irritated expression.

"My birthday present is still in your ordering cue on Amazon!"

Cassidy raised an eyebrow and Mac rolled her eyes. "Your birthday isn't for another three weeks. And why are you in my Amazon account!" Lauren blinked innocently.

"I was looking at your wish list," she smiled sweetly. Mac nodded sarcastically.

"Behave or I'm taking the computer away."

"No fun."

"Cry about it."

--

Veronica leaned back on her elbows on the lawn chair. She considered Logan's question seriously, rolling various ideas around in her mind. Logan raised an impatient eyebrow and she frowned.

"This is a very sensitive matter, Logan. It's not a decision we can rush into making," she scolded. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not asking if you want to get married, Veronica, just what you want for lunch."

"Well if you're going to have an attitude about it then maybe I'll just call Mac and hang out with her for the rest of the day," she retorted haughtily. He sat down on the lawn chair and kissed her gently.

"Ah, but Mac can't make you moan like I can," he whispered. She faltered momentarily, regaining her composure quickly as a saucy smile spread across her face.

"How would you know?"

Logan groaned and kissed her again. His hands strayed across the flesh that was left bare by the cloth of her bikini and she smiled against his mouth as she lay back against the plastic chair again.

A loud splash came from the direction of the pool; Logan cursed against her mouth when they were both soaked from the impact Dick made as he jumped into the Echolls pool.

"Dude, order the food already!"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Is he ever going to go home?"

"He's only been here an hour."

"Really? It feels like a lot longer," she griped. "And I choose Chinese." Logan smirked.

"Egg rolls?"

"None for Dick."

"Yes, ma'am."

--

Mac hopped up on the kitchen counter with a grin. Cassidy scratched the back of his head nervously and her smile softened as she watched him.

"I don't bite, you know," she said. "Contrary to Dick's stories, I'm actually not that much of a wild child."

He blushed, "He never told me about-" he gulped "-You guys. Not really."

"Shocker," she furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or offended."

"Combination of both?"

"Works for me."

"So did you have specific plans for this afternoon?" he asked. Mac quirked her mouth and leaned back on her palms.

"Well," she drawled, "I was _planning_ to have my way with you on the pool deck," she teased. Cassidy blushed again and she smiled gently. "Actually, I thought we could go see the new Tom Cruise movie."

"War of the Worlds?" he raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? I never pictured you as a Cruise fan."

"It's that whole couch-jumping thing," she shrugged. "Total turn-on," she giggled at his expression and held her hands out toward him as she sat up fully. He intertwined their fingers and she pulled him closer to her so that he was standing between her knees.

"This is a mocking movie, then?"

"Oh, definitely," Mac smiled and kissed him softly.

--

She clicked her chopsticks together impatiently while Logan sorted out the bag of food sitting in front of him. He glared playfully at her and she smiled cheekily as she continued to play with her chopsticks.

"Do you even know how to use those things?"

"I believe I am capable of eating with them, yes," Veronica nodded. He grinned and set the last carton on the pool deck. She reached for the box closest to her and opened it eagerly, a frown marring her face when she discovered the contents. "Vegetable fried rice?"

"That would be mine," Logan snatched the carton from her. She shook her head. "What? You think I look like this naturally?"

"Too many comebacks!" Veronica exclaimed. "Cannot choose!" Logan glared at her and she kissed him quickly to placate him.

Her smile turned to an infuriated snarl when multiple drops of chlorine-infested water dripped down her back. Dick reached over her to grab some of the food that was sitting in front of her and she grumbled in annoyance, snapping her chopsticks together again.

Dick sat down on the other side of her and she jammed them into his shoulder – hard – with a cheeky smile. He yelped and scooted away from her.

"Told you I know how to use them," Veronica grinned at her boyfriend. Dick rubbed his shoulder and continued to glare at her while Logan attempted to stifle his laughter.

"Bitch," Dick muttered. She smiled at him again and turned her attention to the carton of noodles that Logan had just handed her.

"Well, it is rare that the nice ones pay attention to you," she agreed. "Don't know _what_ Mac was thinking." Dick's expression darkened.

"Whatever," he shook his head and jammed a plastic fork into his food with more force than was necessary. Logan glanced back and forth between the two and then nodded decisively.

"Anyone interested in mocking Tom Cruise this evening?"

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "War of the Worlds? Must we?"

"It'll be fun," Logan smirked at her and looked at his friend. "Dick, you in?"

Dick shrugged, "Sure. Not like I've got anything better to do."

"And maybe you'll meet some unsuspecting, vulnerable female while we're at the theater," Logan grinned. Dick nodded his agreement and Veronica rolled her eyes.

--

Mac leaned against the wall and let out a contented sigh. She looked around the lobby of the theater and pushed her hair behind her ears absently. A familiar head of blonde hair caught her attention and she widened her eyes when she noticed Logan and Veronica as they entered the theater.

She thought they were going to pop out of her head when she saw her ex-boyfriend follow the couple inside. Her attention turned to the door of the men's restroom and she silently prayed that Cassidy would somehow get stuck in a line.

But when had she ever heard a guy complain about the line in the bathroom?

Mac inwardly groaned and pushed off the wall when Veronica noticed her. She smiled brightly and walk toward the small group of people, greeting Veronica with a hug and smiling at Logan. Dick looked at the ground uncomfortably.

"Dick," she nodded. He glanced up at her and returned the nod before turning his attention to the small crowd that had gathered by the snack counter.

"Are you here with anyone?" Veronica asked. Mac widened her eyes a little and made a subtle gesture toward the restrooms. Veronica's eyes widened in turn and she looked up at Logan. "Weren't you complaining that you needed to use the restroom earlier?"

Logan raised an eyebrow, "No…"

"Are you sure? I could've sworn you mentioned it," Veronica continued, nodding toward Mac and then toward the restroom. He nodded in realization and gave her a little smile.

"You're so in tune, Sugarpuss," he gushed. He pressed a kiss against her temple and winked at Mac before walking across the lobby toward the door to the restroom. Mac let out a breath and Veronica bit back a smile.

"Dude, what's Logan doing?" Dick asked. Veronica looked at him and smiled.

"Bathroom break," she shrugged. He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall they were standing by.

Cassidy opened the bathroom door obliviously and scratched the back of his head. He scanned the crowd to see if Mac was still waiting for him and smiled when he saw her. Then he panicked when he saw Dick standing a couple of feet from her, and a couple of seconds later someone shoved him back into the bathroom.

"We really need to coordinate our schedules better, Beave," Logan said grimly. Cassidy blinked at him.

"You brought Dick with you on a date?"

"It's not a date," Logan shook his head in exasperation. "Would've been, but Dick showed up at the house this morning looking for attention. Veronica's been trying not to kill him since."

"Shit," Cassidy groaned and ran his hands over his face. "Does he know?"

"No, you're safe," Logan shook his head again. "What movie are you guys seeing?"

"War of the Worlds."

"Ditto," Logan grinned. "So should we make this like a group thing? Or would you like to keep your limbs?"

"I can hide out in here until the movie starts," Cassidy suggested. "Right?"

Logan nodded and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Way to be a man about it, Beave. We'll sit in the front," he rolled his eyes and cuffed Cassidy over the back of the head before leaving the restroom.

--

"Yeah, Lauren went out to get something from my car," Mac nodded. "You guys go ahead; we can catch up after the movie."

"I didn't see Lauren," Dick frowned. "There was no one by your car, actually."

"She had to go to the bathroom after that," she shrugged. "You probably missed her."

"Yeah, guess we did," Veronica nodded. Logan joined the group a second later and she smiled at him. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Logan nodded. "Go find seats and I'll get the popcorn," he gestured toward the snack counter. Dick pushed himself off the wall.

"Dude, get the best candy you can," Dick pointed at Logan and then followed Veronica into the theater. Logan turned to Mac with a sigh.

"He's hiding in the bathroom until the movie starts; sit in the back and make sure you're gone as soon as the credits start."

"Thanks," she smiled at him and he nodded.

"No problem," he threw her a salute and then turned away from her, walking toward the only open cashier.

--

The car rolled to a stop in her driveway and she turned to look at him with a smile. Cassidy drummed his fingers against his knee in a nervous gesture and leaned his head against the window.

"I'm still trying to process all of the fantastic jokes I can tell when people ask me about that movie," Mac laughed as they stepped out of the car. "Aliens? Tom Cruise? Oh, the possibilities," she giggled and grabbed his hand as they walked into the house.

"How long am I going to have to hear those jokes?"

"Until they get old," she decided. Cassidy wrapped his arms around her waist loosely and kissed her cheek.

"Right," he chuckled and kissed her jaw. "So how do you think Logan managed to distract Dick long enough for us to get out of there?"

"He probably showed him something shiny," Mac teased. She wandered into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Cassidy grinned and sat down next to her, wiping the sweat off his palms. She turned her head a little to look at him and smiled softly. "Hey."

"Hey," he returned.

"Now who do you suppose came up with the concept to that movie?"

He laughed and closed his eyes as he sank into the couch.

--

"And you're sure Dick doesn't know?"

Logan sighed and pulled her closer to him as he leaned against the X-Terra. "No, he doesn't know. Mac's car was gone by the time we got out here and it's not like Dick was tracking her."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Veronica grinned. He rolled his eyes and nuzzled her neck, closing his eyes as he kissed the dip behind her ear.

"I assure you, Mac and Cassidy are perfectly safe. Probably making out on her couch as we speak," he laughed and kissed her cheek gently.

"_What_!"

Veronica turned her head and widened her eyes. Dick stared at her, open-mouthed, and she scrambled to come up with a cover story. Logan winced.

"What, what?" Veronica asked innocently. Dick clenched his fists and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, barking at the operator to give him the name of a cab company. Veronica closed her eyes tightly and leaned her forehead against Logan's chest. "Fuck," she said quietly.

"Now this is the _actual_ war of the worlds," Logan nodded. She smacked him hard in the stomach and glared up at him.

"This is so not funny."

"Come on, Ronica. Admit it: Dick vs. Beaver? Hysterical."

She smiled in spite of herself. "Maybe just a little."


	10. Enough With the PDA!

Disclaimer: Alas, still no.

A/N: The final chapter! I meant to post this earlier, but the finale put too many ideas into my head. Regardless: this is it, the last chapter of Sacrifice Theory, the final battle, the imminent showdown; however you want to refer to it. Leave me one last review?

--

She tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling him over her as she lay back on the couch. He placed his hands against the leather hesitantly and she smiled against his mouth as he framed her torso with his arms. She leaned up to deepen the kiss and he pulled back nervously, eyes wide as he appraised her.

"Relax," she laughed quietly and kissed him gently. Cassidy sighed and nodded a little, gaining more confidence as he leaned down to kiss her again.

The door burst open and Mac groaned as he scrambled off of her. She sighed quietly and sat up when she heard Dick's voice in the foyer. Her eyes widened and she looked at her boyfriend, whose expression vaguely resembled that of someone who had just seen a ghost.

Scrambling off the couch, she all but ran into the foyer to intercept the fight that was bound to happen once Dick saw his younger brother. She placed her hands on Dick's shoulders and shoved him back out the front door, turning her head to glance at Cassidy before they were both outside and she could no longer see him.

Dick pulled away from her and turned to face her frantically. "Beaver!"

"Dick, calm down-"

"You dumped me for _Beaver_!"

Mac rolled her eyes and put her hands on his shoulders again. "What are you going to do? Beat him senseless? We never even worked all that well!"

"Dude, so _not_ the point," Dick furrowed his brow. She blinked.

"Then what _is_ the point?"

He waved his hands in the air, flustered. "You chose my baby brother!"

"Oh, God," she groaned. She opened her mouth to continue when he smirked and cut her off.

"Can _he_ make you groan like that?"

Mac stared at him incredulously, then proceeded to burst out laughing. She leaned against the front door for support and tilted her head back as giggles continued to bubble up her throat and out into the evening air. Dick stared at her, folding his arms in front of his chest defensively.

"Dick," she gasped, attempting to catch her breath. "Oh, fuck," she laughed again and smacked her palm against her forehead. He crinkled his brow.

"Well, glad you find this so 'entertaining,'" he put air quotes around the last word. "Now are you going to let me in or am I going to have to wait until the Beaver gets home?"

Sighing, she replied, "Look, Dick, just let it go. We had fun while it lasted, can't we just leave it at that?"

He rolled his eyes, "Next it's going to be-" he affected a high-pitched, breathy voice "-'It's not you, it's _me_!'" He rolled his eyes again and she smacked him in the chest, sending him stumbling back a bit from the force.

"You are the most annoying-"

"-ly hot sex you've ever had?"

Mac narrowed her eyes. "Go home, Dick." She turned on her heel and walked back into the house, shutting the door firmly behind her. She flipped the deadbolt and sighed as she walked back into the living room. Cassidy sat on the couch, stock still, face pale and eyes wide with horror.

Smiling softly, she crawled onto his lap and kissed his forehead gently. "Hey," she whispered. "He's gone; relax," she smiled reassuringly and kissed him lightly.

"Fuck," he laughed shakily and relaxed a little, slumping against the back of the couch. She wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and leaned down to kiss him again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." She smiled and kissed his cheek gently. He swallowed audibly and closed his eyes as she rested her head on his chest.

--

Veronica giggled against his mouth and tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head. He pulled away from her to better accommodate the action and she immediately attached her lips to his again once she had flung the material to the floor.

Logan ran his hands up into her hair and guided her toward his bed, pulling her down onto his lap once he was sitting on the mattress. She trailed kisses down his jaw as the both fell back on the mattress, and she sighed contentedly when he flipped them over and covered her completely. He slid his hands down her sides and tugged at the waistband of her skirt, nipping at the exposed flesh of her collarbone as she ran her fingers through his hair.

And then his cell phone rang.

"Ignore it," she gasped and pulled him up for a needy kiss, threading her fingers more firmly into his hair as he returned the embrace. The phone stopped ringing a moment later and he sighed against her mouth, trailing kisses down her neck and across her clavicle.

Something hit the window with a loud thwack and he grumbled as he crawled off of her and went to investigate the sound. She rolled her eyes and sat up, flushed and panting and annoyed.

"Get back here," she demanded. Logan smirked apologetically at her and looked out the window, checking or the source of the interruption. A tiny rock hit the window and he narrowed his eyes when he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair on the ground outside the house.

He threw open the window and leaned against the sill impatiently. "Oh, Romeo, Romeo!" he called dramatically. "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Veronica giggled from her position on the bed and he smiled at her before turning back to the window. "Deny thy father-"

"Dude, let me in!" Dick called. Logan shook his head.

"Dude, if the door is locked it means play time is _over_!"

"Like you aren't _playing _with Veronica right now," Dick protested.

"Well, I'd offer to let you join but I think that would just end in pain for all parties involved," Logan retorted. Veronica climbed off the bed and pulled her tank top back on before wandering over to her boyfriend and wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.

She placed kisses along his shoulder blades and ran her hands across his abdomen, sufficiently distracting him. Dick shouted up from the ground and Logan told him to go home before all but slamming the window shut and turning around. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely, making quick work of her shirt as he led her back over to the bed.

--

He sighed heavily and walked into the house, shutting the door quietly behind him so as not to wake anyone else. He wasn't in the mood for father-son bonding time. He just wanted to get drunk and go to bed.

Walking into the kitchen to get something out of the liquor cabinet, he froze when he spotted his little brother digging in the fridge. His eyes narrowed and he tossed his keys onto the counter, no longer caring who he woke.

Cassidy jumped and smacked the back of his head against a shelf. He turned around a second later and timidly shut the fridge door, eyes darting between his brother and the doorway.

Dick drummed his fingers on the counter and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the younger Casablancas to make the first move. Cassidy ran his palms over his jeans and then swallowed audibly before darting out of the room and through the doorway. Dick chased after him and they clambered through the living room, both of them sliding on the hardwood flooring in the foyer.

Cassidy scrambled up the stairs and Dick followed on his heels, randomly grabbing for his little brother as they both cleared the railing and went flying down the hall. Cassidy made it to his room first and was just about to slam the door shut when Dick caught it with his hand and flung it open, sending the younger boy flailing as he attempted to regain his balance.

"Dick, don't do this," he panted and ran around the other side of the bed, using the mattress as a temporary shield until he could get out of the room again. Dick rolled his eyes and stood in front of the door.

"Dude, it's in the brotherly love codebook that you don't steal your flesh and blood's girl," Dick reprimanded. Cassidy blinked.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

A moment later Dick tackled him to the floor and he cried out in pain as they wrestled with each other for control of the situation. Dick rolled them over and straddled Cassidy's back, pinning his wrists behind his back.

"How the hell did you win that battle, anyway?"

Cassidy rolled his eyes and jerked his hands out of Dick's grip, flipping them over and putting his older brother in a headlock.

"It wasn't a battle! She just wanted me _more_," he groaned when Dick flipped him over and pinned him to the carpet.

"For your awesome skills in bed?" Dick scoffed. "Dude, do you even _know_ what to do with a girl like Mac?"

Cassidy stared up at his brother incredulously. "What the hell does that mean?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "The girl needs _excitement_, Beaver!" He threw his hands up in the air, a 'duh' expression on his face as he did so. Cassidy took advantage of the opportunity and flipped them over again, pressing Dick's face into the carpet.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he bit out. Dick laughed and the sound was muffled by the Febreze-scented carpet. He rolled over and kept going until he was lying a good five feet away from his little brother and laughed again.

"Well, look at that," he chuckled. "Beaver's in love."

Cassidy glared at him and sat up, folding his arms across his bent knees as he pulled them up to his chest. "Shut up, Dick."

Widening his eyes, "Dude, Beaver's in love!"

"Can you leave and let me go to sleep now?"

Dick snickered, "That's _awesome_, man."

"Dick, come on."

He stood and continued to chuckle, shaking his head as he headed toward the door. "Has she told you that she likes it rough?"

Cassidy was up like a shot. "Don't talk about Mac like that."

"Ooh," Dick held up his hands and widened his eyes comically. "Defensive boyfriend mode!"

He hit the ground with a groan a minute later and Cassidy pulled him into a headlock before he could continue.

--

Veronica pouted cutely and folded her arms in front of her chest. She stared at him with wide, innocent eyes, and fought not to smile when he rolled his eyes. Logan sighed and opened his arms for her, pulling her off the surfboard and hugging her tightly as the waves crashed subtly against them.

"If I get all bruised up then I won't be pretty any more," she explained. "And _then_ what would you do?"

"Find another pretty girl to have insanely hot sex with?" he questioned. She pouted again and he smirked, kissing her soundly as they both started drifting toward shore.

"You better not," she said quietly. He rolled his eyes and grabbed his surfboard, dragging her back onto the sand and toward Wallace. He set the board next to the rest of their stuff and sat down, allowing his girlfriend to plop down in his lap.

Wallace shook his head. "I don't think I have ever seen someone with that little of an aptitude for surfing."

"Coordination and I do not mix," she shook her head. "I'm lucky I can walk straight most days."

"And that you don't look like Dick…"

She turned around to look at Logan and raised a confused eyebrow. "Why would my lack of coordination make me look like Dick?" He pointed toward the threesome that was walking toward them and her eyes widened. "Oh!" she nodded.

"Dude, if I had known you would go home and stick your head in the stair railing when I rejected you I would've done it a lot sooner," Logan called. Dick grumbled as he sat down next to him and Cassidy and Mac followed suit, Cassidy looking only a little worse off than his older brother.

Mac shook her head, "I got a call at two in the morning from Mr. Casablancas about his boys fighting over me. Fairly embarrassing."

Veronica grinned, "What else is to be expected of such a hot girl?" she slapped Mac's thigh playfully.

"Honey, is there something you need to tell me?" Logan questioned. "Because if so, then please let me go home and get the video camera first." Veronica slapped him in the chest and he grinned. Mac blushed and looked down at her lap.

"Dude, I'm so in," Dick proclaimed. Mac cuffed him on the back of the head and he cried out in protest.

"You aren't _in_ anything anymore," she retorted. "So shut it."

The rest of the group burst out laughing at Dick's flustered expression and he rolled his eyes when he saw Cassidy intertwine his fingers with Mac's.

"Okay, dude, whatever," he shook his head. "But if you two don't stop being so fucking cutesy I may gag."

"And that, my friends, is jealousy at its finest," Logan grinned. Dick rolled his eyes and shoved his brother as he headed toward the water, surfboard in hand. Cassidy protested loudly and then scrambled to his feet before being pulled back down by his girlfriend. He raised an eyebrow.

Mac patted his arm lightly, "Any more bruises and you'll look like Violet Beauregard."

He glared playfully at her and she smiled cheekily as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Dude, enough with the PDA!" Dick shouted from the water. He shook his head as he climbed onto his surfboard and Mac rolled her eyes before resting her head on Cassidy's shoulder and turning her attention toward the rest of the group.

_finish._


End file.
